The Ramayana, especially Sita, has been a topic of controversy among the feminist groups in Hindu society. From this controversy, there has been a progression towards changing the text of the Ramayana in order to suit society’s ever changing views. The last scene in the Ramayana has been altered to change Sita’s interaction with Rama, mostly in response to the changes of women’s social concerns because women don’t want to be viewed as an inferior being to men. There have been multiple variations of the Ramayana to fix these social matters about Sita. In particular, there is one revision that has completely reversed the whole situation.
In the original Ramayana, Sita is always obedient towards Rama. Anything that Rama demands or asks of her, …show more content…
In other cases, rather than only being considered a wife to Rama, Sita is given the title mother when being referenced in a conversation. In one version, there is confusion among Lakshman and Rama and there is a point in the conversation when Lakshman addresses Sita by calling her “Mother Sita” (Hess 12). Just by mentioning Sita with the title mother, Sita receives a higher consideration from society because now she has the responsibilities of caring for children, which entitles her to some power in the relationship between her and Rama. In some cultures, the title “wife” can connotate a meaning of inferiority in a marriage, where as “mother” provides women with the responsibilities, but also, “mother” can be meant to be superior because the mother will always have power over the children in their relationships.
There have been multiple editions of the Ramayana that have been written in recent times to align with society’s changing views about women. The new texts have successfully portrayed Sita as being an independent woman able to make her own decisions as well as a mother who is capable of caring for young children. All of these different versions are crucial to Hindu society and society in general because women are still occasionally considered the inferior ones to the males and with living in the 21st century, gender equality should be implemented all across the world without any
In the original Ramayana, Sita is always obedient towards Rama. Anything that Rama demands or asks of her, …show more content…
In other cases, rather than only being considered a wife to Rama, Sita is given the title mother when being referenced in a conversation. In one version, there is confusion among Lakshman and Rama and there is a point in the conversation when Lakshman addresses Sita by calling her “Mother Sita” (Hess 12). Just by mentioning Sita with the title mother, Sita receives a higher consideration from society because now she has the responsibilities of caring for children, which entitles her to some power in the relationship between her and Rama. In some cultures, the title “wife” can connotate a meaning of inferiority in a marriage, where as “mother” provides women with the responsibilities, but also, “mother” can be meant to be superior because the mother will always have power over the children in their relationships.
There have been multiple editions of the Ramayana that have been written in recent times to align with society’s changing views about women. The new texts have successfully portrayed Sita as being an independent woman able to make her own decisions as well as a mother who is capable of caring for young children. All of these different versions are crucial to Hindu society and society in general because women are still occasionally considered the inferior ones to the males and with living in the 21st century, gender equality should be implemented all across the world without any